When it comes to manicures, I’m on a regular rotation of glitter-tipped pastels that I leave to the professionals at Paintbox or Valley Nails. But when I heard about the spray-can nail polish craze — which promises salon-ready manis from spraying your digits with reckless abandon in the comfort of your own home (excess spray on your hands is simply washed away) — I wasn’t convinced it would revolutionize my approach to nail art. But as soon as those little Nails Inc. Paint Can spray bottles arrived, I was excited about trying them out. Would this invention be a godsend to manicure addicts? I decided to put them to the test. Here’s how it works:

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Step 1

I started with the brand’s fast-drying 2-in-1 clear base coat (which you have to buy separately). Next up was the spraying, which turned out to need more prepping than I anticipated: What would I spray against so I didn’t make a mess? I found a large piece of cardboard, rolled up my sleeves (warning — don’t wear white) and went to town, applying four layers of the hot pink hue on all of my nails. Spray flew everywhere: Beyond my nails and fingers, it saturated the cardboard and even landed on the floor. It was superfun to apply, but I realized a mini-mess was brewing — along with some intense fumes.

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Step 2

Back again to the 2-in-1 clear base coat to seal in the spray. I often paint my own nails, so it was easy for me to apply, but all my fingers were covered in spray paint at this point — so I was getting hot pink paint all over the bottle. I waited about 10 minutes for the top layer to dry and hopped over to the sink.

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Step 3

I vigorously rinsed my hands with warm water and soap. As promised, the spray magically disappeared from my fingers, though it took a good eight minutes of washing before it did. But as soon as I dried my hands, voilà! My nails were freshly manicured in a bright hot pink with a seriously matte effect — in 30 minutes. Would I recommend this to someone who wants a quick-but-professional-looking manicure? Definitely not — it’s too messy. But if you’re looking to experience the pure novelty of this fun concept, by all means, spray away.